A Better Tomorrow
by Flaming Author 22
Summary: Jaune died during Beacon's Fall. He didn't expect to wind up in the past and meet the predecessors of some of his friends. Now enrolled in Beacon once more he trains alongside the best of their time in hopes of creating a better tomorrow. However time travel is a dangerous thing. A ripple now can create a flood later. (Remake of Past and Present.) Hiatus
1. Chapter 1

**AN: So I know it's been a million years, but I haven't given up on this story. I've been thinking and planning on how to make it better and with all the information we have gotten in Volume 5 I'd say I needed to change more than a few things. So I made this remake. Any and all feedback is always appreciated and I'm sorry for my long absence.**

 **So keep in mind these _first two_ chapters are the _SAME_ for this story as they were in the old one. They still fit so I saw no reason to change them.**

 **Chapter 1: Alone for the Final Battle**

Pyrrha and Jaune had just made their way outside the CCT. Moments earlier Ozpin had vanished in his battle against Cinder, who now had full control over the fall maiden's powers.

The entire city was under siege by a strange mixture of Grimm, White Fang soldiers, and now hacked Atlesian robotic knights.

The young huntsmen of Beacon Academy along with teams from the schools who was participating in the Vytal Festival Tournament were doing all they could to defend the city along with the school. The brave Atlesian soldiers were doing their best to rally and support the Huntsmen after the confusion of their machines turning against them, but it was safe to say the battle wasn't going their way.

Something had to be done otherwise the CCT would fall. If that happened communication among the four kingdoms would come to a crawl. Getting a signal would be impossible for long range devices.

But what could they do? Jaune had a plan. A foolish one, but it was all he could think of. Someone had to face Cinder.

Jaune closed his eyes. He could hear the sounds of distant gunfire in the background as he turned to his partner.

"Pyrrha you need to go on ahead."

She looked at him as if he was crazy. She opened her mouth to speak, but closed it. It was as if he had stolen the words out of her mouth.

She opened it again, this time with conviction.

"Jaune what are you thinking? You need to get out of here along with the others."

Jaune shook his head. "You're the one that needs to go Pyrrha, everyone else needs you, but I might be able to at least slow that witch down."

His combat locker had arrived a few feet away. He knew that was his only chance to get her to safety, whether she liked it or not.

"Jaune are you crazy!? She will kill you! I can't believe you're even thinking this."

No, it was the only logical solution for him. At least that's what he told himself. For him it was his chance to do some good. To be useful.

Pyrrha was a champion. One of the strongest fighters here. A true huntress in the making. Vale needed her more than ever to retake the city and save the school.

He on the other hand was a fake. Someone who lied and cheated his way into Beacon. Someone who disgraced the honor of his family's legacy. He was no hero, but now was his time to act like one even if it was going to cost him his life.

He walked up to her and before she could say another word, he gave her a passionate kiss. He wasn't a complete fool. He had figured out her feelings for him and now was going to use them to his advantage.

He wanted to return those feelings, but part of him just didn't feel right about it. Pyrrha deserved so much better than him and he wasn't the type of person to commit to relationship if he didn't fully love the person and it made what he was doing now that much worse.

' _I am such scum'_

Pyrrha was stunned but eagerly started to kiss him back before he pulled away.

"Jaune? What are yo-"

She didn't get to finish as Jaune had used this time to push her into his locker and quickly closed it shut.

"Jaune! What are you doing? Let me out!"

He started to type the lunch code into his locker.

"I am sorry Pyrrha but this is for the best."

She started to plead to him. Hoping he would see reason.

"Please Jaune don't do this!"

He looked back up to her. No doubt this was the last time he would see her beautiful eyes.

"Vale needs you Pyrrha. The world needs someone of your skill so please help the other get out of her safely."

Pyrrha made one last attempt to stop him.

"Jaune what about your family!? Your sisters?"

Jaune almost didn't have the heart to hit the enter button on the locker but he knew he had too. He was sorry he couldn't return her feelings.

"Good bye Pyrrha."

Before she could protest further, he hit the button and she was launched into another part of the city. He knew she would be okay.

Now it was time to be a hero and see if destiny really did exist.

Pyrrha had just broken out of the locker after it landed in a fit of fury. It wasn't hard for her to break out of it and she should have done that before Jaune had launched her, but she was just so taken back by that kiss and that he was going to face Cinder alone. It would be a decision she knew she would regret for the rest of her life.

She pulled out her scroll and dialed the number of the person she knew could possibly stop Jaune. With her speed, perhaps she could catch up to him before it was too late.

Ruby and Weiss had just managed to fend off a pack of Grimm when Ruby's scroll vibrated in her pocket.

Her eyes widened in surprise, it was Pyrrha. Pyrrha had never once called or even texted her before, so for her to be calling now something must have happened.

Weiss had approached her after finishing off a Beowolf.

"Who is it?"

Ruby turned to her. "It's Pyrrha."

She quickly accepted the call and answered it.

"Hello?"

Ruby could hear Pyrrha talking franticly on the other side.

"Jaune did what!? Don't worry me and Weiss will go get him. We are not far from the tower."

Ruby ended the call and turned to Weiss who seemed to be curious at what was going on.

"We have to go find Jaune. He is going to go fight the person responsible for this all by himself."

Weiss actually seemed worried about him. Perhaps she wasn't as cold hearted as previously thought.

"That dolt! We better go save him before he does something stupid and gets himself hurt."

Ruby and Weiss quickly made haste to find their blonde knight.

Jaune had finally got one of the piece of shit elevators inside the tower to work even if just barley. The elevator slowly made its way up the tower where at the top Jaune knew his doom was probably going to be waiting for him.

He felt bad for what he did to Pyrrha but he took comfort in knowing she would be safe. It was better him than her anyway. She was such a kind-hearted girl and was as smart as she was strong. How she could stand being partners with him was beyond him, but he was grateful for all her help in the past.

His mind drifted towards Ruby. He knew he would miss her the most. She was the first friend he made at Beacon and he knew he was going to miss all the time they had spent together. He was really going to miss that cute smile of hers.

He knew his death was going to hurt them and the rest of their friends. Hell, even Blake, whom he had never really talked too might shed a tear, but to him this all felt kind of right.

After all the rest of his team along with team RWBY belonged here. They were going to be incredible huntsmen someday. He on the other hand was a weak reject, but at least he could still do some good. Even if the chances were slim, if he could take out Cinder for all the deaths and misery she was causing then maybe he could finally be a hero. If not, then he could die like one.

The elevator had finally reached the top and the doors slid open.

Cinder sat atop of the huge tower. Her eyes seemed to glow like a flame as fire manifested itself in her palm as she stared at the huge dragon like Grimm before her.

Victory just felt so sweet. After months of planning and hard work it had all come together. This was only the beginning and soon every kingdom will fall one way or another. Once that happens a glorious new beginning will take place.

To her irritation, she heard the elevator doors click open behind her.

' _Who could it be?'_

Cinder turned around to see someone rather unexpected emerge from the elevator.

' _The weak knight?'_

A smirk appeared on her face. She supposed this victory allowed her to have a little fun. She wondered how long he would last?

"Welcome. How nice of someone to join me. It was getting kind of lonely up here with just my pet keeping me company."

The large beast let out a large screech and with the flap of its wings began to fly up into the night once more.

Jaune walked out of the elevator and could feel his whole body start to shake, but he did his best to control it.

The witch was already addressing him and he could feel the power the radiated from her from here. He was at least six feet away from what he figured.

He saw her eyes looking down upon him. She was mocking him. He was but an insect to her.

He noticed the large dragon like Grimm take off from the side of the building and fly off somewhere.

This whole situation was the very definition of insane but he couldn't turn back now.

"I apologize for interrupting your bonding time with that monster. Should I come back another time?" He supposed if he was going to die he might as well die a wise ass instead of a coward.

He was surprised that she answered back in such a calm and smooth voice. The fire in her palm still present and her eyes continued to glow.

"No apology needed. I always prefer the company of handsome man such as yourself compared to a Grimm, even if they are useful for destroying kingdoms."

So, she was flirting with him now? Normally he would have been head over heels with such gorgeous girl flirting with him. He would be blushing silly, but not this time. In fact, after everything that had happened, it kind of pissed him off.

Jaune unsheathed his sword. The time for small talk was over even if he was afraid on the inside.

"So, we're going to fight? How disappointing." Cinder said in a slightly disappointed tone.

Jaune turned to face her once more and looked her straight in the eyes.

"Sorry, but we both know how this is going to end." Jaune ran forward with his sword and shield ready.

"Yes, with your death." Cinder finished. The flame in her hand started to grow until she launched her fire at him.

Jaune's shield held steady, but the temperature of the fire was quickly heating up his shield. The shield was starting to burn his arm and he knew he had to discard it before it caused serious damage.

He threw it down with a small yelp as the heat seared his skin. Thankfully, his aura had absorbed most of the damage. Even with his large amount of aura he knew he wasn't going to last long.

Ducking out of the way of her steady stream of fire, he made a desperate lunge with his sword.

The witch had easily dodged his attack. He knew she was barely trying and was toying with him like a cat cornering a mouse.

The building around them had started to shake. To Jaune's horror the dragon had returned with a vengeance. The beast had torn down the top part of the tower along with most of the walls around them. He and his opponent were now exposed to the outside elements. He was flung to the ground from the epic force and he tried to recover.

His opponent on the other hand had no such difficulties and was wielding a bow and arrow instead of her fire.

He felt a burning sensation in his left leg as his opponent let the first arrow fly.

"Damn it."

He cursed as he tried to get and was able to only to stumble a few feet later. As he hit the ground again, he knew it was over. There was no way he could beat her. How foolish he was to think he of all people could make a difference.

He heard footsteps walking towards him and he braced himself for the finishing blow. He looked up at the witch one last time. He would die with his head held high at least.

To his surprise the witch placed a soft hand on his cheek.

"Despite how poorly you fought, you still fought bravely and for that you have my respect. Take heart in knowing I will use my new powers to do incredible things."

Jaune couldn't tell if she was really pitying him or mocking him and he wouldn't even bother to ask what those "incredible" things would be. From what was happening in Vale he already knew what she meant. She was going to destroy everything.

The witches hand left his cheek and went back to her bow.

"Farewell. May your soul find peace on the other side."

Jaune thought he picked up what looked like a hint of sadness in her eyes. This confused him slightly, but he didn't have time to think it over.

In a flash, he felt it. A burning arrow struck his heart. This was the end of him. He would never be able to apologize fully to his team for leaving them like this. He knew he would never see any of his friends again.

He felt the burning sensation in his chest continue to grow and his mind flashed back to his friends one last time.

 _Ruby. The girl he called his first friend at school, he never really belonged to. The girl who was nice and even worried about him when he got hurt. The girl who made him remember he was supposed to be a leader for his team back when Cardin was picking on him. A girl who, despite all odds never stopped believing in him._

 _Pyrrha. His partner who went out of her way to train him. To help him improve and kept his secret. She like Ruby never gave up on him and now he had forsaken her trust for his own foolish venture. She would always hold a special place in his heart._

 _Ren and Nora. He wanted to learn so much more about them since he knew so little of their past. They were great teammates and could always be counted on. The duo were almost exact opposites in personality but they were the best of friends._

 _Weiss. The girl he always wanted to call his snow angel. He had always known that despite her cold attitude she was a girl who just wanted friends on the inside. It was one of the reason's he had tried so hard with her. She was lonely on the inside just like he was. He was glad at least she found happiness. Even if it was with Neptune and not him._

 _Blake. The mysterious quiet girl on team RWBY. He had never really talked to her, but he had noticed she became a lot more outgoing over the year. He figured Ruby and Yang just had that effect on people. He was glad she had found good friends to help her open up. Funny how she was like Weiss in that regard._

 _Yang. He still felt bad for vomiting on her shoes that first day. Despite all that and often being the butt of her jokes he still considered her a friend. She always meant well anyway and was great lightening the mood when things got bad. He supposed he was going to even miss her stupid puns._

Jaune now only saw black and then nothing. His body evaporated into orange embers and then faded away.

The man known as Jaune Arc was no more.

Ruby had made it to the top of the tower just in time.

Just in time to see the boy she called her best friend die. To see him fade away into nothing.

She had failed. Jaune was dead. First Penny and now she had lost Jaune.

Why did all this have to happen? She had such huge plans for the Vytal Festival. She and her team were going to win the tournament. They were going to have fun with their friends as they finished up their first year at Beacon.

They were going to become real huntsmen along with team JNPR. They would help others in need and make the world a safer place for everyone.

She even planned on telling Jaune how she felt. As far as she could tell Jaune had stopped asking Weiss out and moved on. She had hoped this was going to be her chance.

Now everything had been ruined. The lives of her friends taken, including the man she had feelings for.

Something inside of her snapped.

Something unlike anything she had ever felt before. It was pure malice and rage. She could feel it like a separate entity asking her permission to take over for a while.

' _Let me in. I will make that witch suffer for what she did. For what she did to Penny. To Jaune.'_

That's all Ruby needed to hear. She gladly let in whatever power was seeking control and a large flash of light was all she saw. A loud scream came from her lips.

Cinder felt powerless. The dragon had been turned to stone and her body was now failing her. She was experiencing the after effect of taking the Fall maidens powers and now it was her turn to feel what that blonde knight felt.

Cinder recognized the red hooded girl as the same girl from the dust robbery with Roman a few months ago.

That girl was now so different. She floated above the ground by a few feet. A large stream of white light emanated from her eyes. Her scythe had increased in size and the color changed to a shining white.

That girl was now some sort of monster. A demon or perhaps the angel of death would be more fitting?

Either way this strange girl was now on her and she could do nothing with her body frozen.

Cinder cried out in pain as the girls scythe dug into her skin. The reaper's hand slowly crossed her face and onto her eye.

Cinder had never felt terror like this and with the powers of the Fall maiden she never expected too. Now her world was being turned upside down.

She let out another loud shriek as she felt little girl death slowly take out her left eye. Blood sprayed everywhere and dripped across her face. It was something truly horrendous and her face was now deeply scared by her left eye.

The reapers strange laugh filled her ears.

It made her angry. After all this work, she had finally won and now so soon she was going to die. Her vision faded to black as the world around her disappeared. It was the end of everything.

Qrow had finally found Ruby on top the large tower. The girl looked a mess and she was cradling a white and gold shield.

He turned to see the body of another girl laying a few feet away. Blood was pooling out of her and to his horror an eye ball was laying a few inches away. It looked like it had been ripped out.

The stench was horrible and almost made him vomit.

' _Dear God! What the hell happened up here?'_

Qrow ran up to his niece and picked her up in his arms. Qrow recognized the shield as one of Ruby's classmates. It seemed he was a friend of Ruby's but Qrow had never bothered to learn his name.

' _Poor bastard is probably dead somewhere if his shield is just laying up here.'_

It made him sad to see such young kids have to fight and die like this. He wasn't even going to bother with the body of the other girl. He recognized her as one of Salem's pawns who had taken the Fall maidens powers.

As far as Qrow was concerned that bitch deserved her fate for all that had happened that night. He also felt a lot of guilt for not recognizing her sooner and thus allowed all of this to happen in the first place.

Right now, however he had to focus on getting his niece to safety along with the others. He took the shield and figured out how to sheath it. Putting it in his pocket to give back to Ruby later on he started to carry her back to the established safe zone.

"It's okay kiddo I got you."

He said in a soft reassuring voice. They had all been through a lot that night and it was time he got her and Yang back home.

 **AN: Thank you for reading and feel free to leave any criticism you might have. It helps me get better at writing.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Summer Rose**

When Jaune faded from the world he knew he expected it to be the end. He didn't think anything existed after death, but apparently, he had been wrong.

He found himself drifting in strange void. Millions of bright stars could be seen all around him in every direction with the occasional distant galaxy visible here and there. At first, he had thought he had somehow not died and been teleported into outer space, but the fact that he could breath and didn't die from suffocation dispelled that thought.

So, the question remained as to why he was here and what was going to happen to him. To be honest, he wasn't really sure how much time he had been here or how long he would remain. He was also extremely comfortable. The temperature was warm, but not too warm so he was sure he didn't go to Hell, but he doubted this was what Heaven looked like.

As he continued to drift he started to feel a strange vibration across his body. As the vibrations continued to become intense he started to hear a voice and the vibrations stopped.

" **Jaune Arc are you happy with your life?"**

First of all, what the fuck kind of question was that? Sure, he was for the most part, but the last night of his light took a turn for shit creek. Like lunch your partner into the other side of the city in a locker shit creek. Getting shot with a bow and arrow shit creek. The fact his friends could still be fighting for their lives also haunted him and all he could do was pray they were okay.

"I am for the most part. I just hope my friends are all right."

The voice was silent for a moment. Jaune was getting nervous as to what would happen to him now.

" **Do you want to change the past?"**

Now that was an easy question. After everything that had happened he would love to go back in time. Who wouldn't? To go back change all the things he had done wrong would be a dream come true.

"Yes! I want to go back in time and change everything."

The voice laughed for a moment and sort of unnerved him.

" **Very well. Your wish is granted. Death shall not come to you this day young Arc."**

All at once the world around Jaune started to change.

Jaune felt himself open his eyes to find himself on an airship. He found Crocea Mors by his side once more. He looked around amazed to see all sorts of young people with weapons. That only meant one thing.

Beacon.

He was going back to Beacon. He was going to see his team again. He was going to be best friends with Ruby once more.

He felt emotion rise with within him. He tried to fight back tears. The saying "You don't know what you got until it's gone." Could not be truer than in this case. He had been so eager to throw his life away and try to prove himself and because of that he figured he would never see his loved ones again.

Damn, how he missed them already. He jumped up from his seat and noticed he wasn't even feeling sick. This only added to his now incredibly good mood. He looked around for Ruby and Yang. He remembered this was where they had met the first time. This time he wouldn't vomit in front of them.

Jaune scanned the ship. So far, he saw no one he recognized. This was starting to worry him since the ship was clearly moving through the sky and was already on its way to Beacon. He knew for sure Ruby and Yang should be on here. Could he have been placed onto a different transport ship?

It was then that Jaune saw her. He had found Ruby. She was standing alone and looking out the window. He could tell easily by her hair style and color. It had to be her. She even had the same silver eyes.

' _Weird she isn't talking with Yang this time?'_

This was good news for Jaune anyway, as he felt a little nervous already approaching someone who would have no memories of him while he knew almost everything about her. Getting to know Ruby all over again was better than nothing at least and not having Yang see him as some suspicious guy would help things along.

Summer was beyond excited. She remembered back to when she got her acceptance letter to Beacon. She was normally so shy and meek, but she squealed like a fan girl that night and couldn't sleep because she was so excited.

Now she was here on her way to the school of her dreams. She was going to be able to fight monsters for a living too. How bad ass what that? She was going to be able help people and do what she loved for a job.

Summer turned her focus back to the amazing view the airship provided. The kingdom of Vale was so beautiful and being able to study here was such a gift. Not that she hadn't worked her butt off for it but still. She felt lucky.

She flinched a bit as she felt someone tap her shoulder.

Summer to turned to meet the gaze of blonde haired guy about her age. He had blue eyes and a sword by his side.

"May I help you?" Summer asked politely. She had to admit she felt a little nervous about a boy coming up to her like that. She had never been real lucky talking to people. Especially boys.

She noticed how the boy seemed to be at a loss for words. He looked like he wanted to say something really bad, but wasn't sure how to go about it. Summer was really good at reading people, despite her lack of social skills.

"My name is Jaune Arc. What's your name?" The boy asked.

Summer smiled at him. He seemed nice actually and maybe he was just bad talking to people like she was?

"My name is Summer Rose. It's nice to meet you Jaune."

She noticed how the boy's eyes seemed to widen. She saw him look down at her white cloak.

"Are you okay?" she asked slightly concerned.

The boy took a step back from her. He was now as pale as her cloak was.

"Ya I am fine. Sorry you just looked like someone I used to know is all…Sorry to have bothered you."

He wasn't a bother. In fact, was rather excited at making a friend since she didn't really have any. Now said friend looked like he was going to be sick, but before she could get another word in the blonde-haired boy turned around and raced to the men's bathroom at the back of the ship.

"I hope he is okay…" She muttered to herself.

Jaune had just finished hurling would felt like everything he had ever eaten before in his life into the toilet.

Summer Rose! Summer fucking Rose. How the fuck was that even possible? For one Ruby, had told him about her mother and how she had died when she was a little girl. So how was said Summer Rose on an air ship to Beacon?

Part of it, he should have known. Her cloak was white and not red like Ruby's. He was just so focusing on her hair and eyes that he figured it had to be Ruby, but since Summer had the same hair style he should have figured the possibility.

The main problem now was Summer being alive and not dead. How was that possible?

How was it possible he had died and came back to live?

This was all insane. Until it dawned on him.

That voice sent him back in time. The voice didn't say how far back he would send him he realized.

He had just assumed he wasn't getting screwed over. What a dumb-ass he was. Considering how his life tended to go why wouldn't God or the devil fuck with him even more on something like this.

He went back in time… Twenty-two fucking years. If summer is on her way to Beacon just like he is, then that's the only real explanation.

Jaune had stopped puking and cleaned himself off before leaving the bathroom and just looking out the window.

He had died. Gone back in time. Talked to his best friends would be dead mother after mistaking said dead mother for her future daughter.

If he hadn't lost his mind yet, then he never will.

The sickness paled with the sad realization that came upon him.

He would never see his friends again. Even if he did, he would have to wait for them to be born. They would have no memories of him. How could he even start over with them? He would be a thirty-nine-year-old man by the time they were his age now.

He hadn't realized he started crying until he felt his face become wet with tears. All of this almost seemed worse than death. Perhaps it would be better if did take his own life? He couldn't even imagine having to watch his friends grow up and live their lives without him like he never existed.

What about his family? That lead to another fucked up paradox. If he did nothing to alter the timeline wouldn't his parents still give birth to him in about three years? Would there be two Jaune's in the same universe? Could he watch a younger him grow up, meet his friends, and make the same mistakes?

This was an insane nightmare. It seems like everyone wants to go back in time, but they don't think of the consequences until it's too late. There is a reason why time travel was against the laws of nature. When you break those laws, you get messed up stuff like this.

He had learned his lesson too late and now he had no idea what to do.

Why had that voice done this to him? It had to be the devils work right? He had expected to wake up in his own body on the airship to take him to Beacon at his timeline. That's how all the time travel stories he had read went. He supposed this was another reason why real life was so different than fantasy.

He buried his face in his hands. Ashamed to off himself. Ashamed of the choices he made. Why didn't he just leave with Pyrrha? Even after he died why didn't he just accept death? Would he have even been given the choice or was this destined to happen the moment he died because someone with godlike powers doesn't like him?

He felt a soft hand touch his shoulder and he looked up. He felt even more ashamed now because he was in public. He supposed he should have stayed in the bathroom.

He noticed it was Summer who was beside him. She looked so worried.

"Hey…What's wrong?" She asked in quiet voice.

He didn't even know what to say. What could he say? He was some guy who got killed and sent back in time? Time traveling zombie?

He said nothing, but just looked into those soft, caring eyes of hers. He wondered how much Ruby cried when her mother died. Probably just as much as Yang.

That's right Summer was a mother to both Ruby and Yang because Raven skipped out. What if Summer didn't have to die? Sure, Raven skipped out but as far as they all could tell Raven was still alive at least.

What if he did more than just prevent the fall of Beacon and got even with Cinder? What if he helped keep a mother who loved Ruby and Yang with every fiber of her being of their lives? What if they didn't have to cry those tears again?

Surely all of this would be hard to do. It was all really crazy when he thought about it. It would be hard not truly being able to see his loved ones again, but at least they would have a better life because of his actions. Perhaps this would help him make up for the times he fucked up? It was worth a shot even if he could barely wrap his mind around it.

"Sorry, Summer I just get really sick on airships. Plus, I am kind of nervous about being at Beacon Academy. It's such a famous school after all."

Summer smiled at him. "It's okay. I am kind of nervous too, but I am sure we will do fine. Also, I think we're almost to the school anyway, so you won't have to be on an airship much longer."

Summer could easily tell her new friend was lying. He seemed really distressed about something and she really wanted to help in some way. However, they both had just met. She was sure he would tell her the truth in time once they got to know one another better.

It seemed fighting Grimm and doing well on tests wouldn't be the only challenges she would have to face at Beacon. But if it meant having a friend then she was okay with that.

Summer felt the airship shake a bit as it docked by Beacon. The doors had opened, and they were finally here. She glanced out the window to see other airships dropping students off as well. She supposed that made sense considering how people came from all over the world to study here.

She squeezed Jaune's shoulder a bit. "Come on Jaune were here. We better get going."

He nodded, and she helped him up.

They made their way off the docking ramp. She felt her self-taken back by the beauty of the school. Not to mention how big it was. It almost looked like a castle fit for royalty.

Summer could feel the excitement swell inside of her once more. She couldn't wait to get inside and check out the rest of the school.

 **AN: That concludes this chapter. I know it was kind of short compared to the last chapter, but this to me felt like a good place to end it. I hope to have the next one out soon. Thank you all for reading.**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Chapter 3. First _new_ chapter of the remake.**

 **Beta:DragonManMax**

 **Chapter 3: Crimson Eyes**

Jaune followed the white cloaked girl off the airship. Everything felt strange…

Not even a full day ago, he had watched the school and kingdom he loved nearly destroyed before his very eyes and now everything was perfect again. No fires. No rampaging droids or Grimm. Not even the White Fang. It filled him with a sense of calm and hope, seeing students get off their ships, peacefully talking to one another.

He reached down to find his scroll. To his surprise, he still had it, but then again, whatever brought him here also brought his set of clothes and armor along with his sword and shield. Of course, the same couldn't be said about his bank account. He had nothing to his name in that area.

"Well fuck…"

"Something wrong?"

He flinched slightly. He had almost forgotten Summer was still there with him taking in the scenery. It was probably pretty new to her. Looking at her directly like this, another difference popped out to him. Summer was about his height compared to Ruby, who was a few inches smaller. Perhaps it was the two-year gap? Summer hadn't gotten in early like Ruby had, as far as he knew.

"It's nothing." He smiled. "I just forgot something, but I'll be fine without it for now."

"Oh, okay." Summer replied, turning from him. "We should go fine the auditorium before we are late. If you need help with something though, just let me know okay?"

"Sure thing." He nodded, following after her. It seemed unlike last time both he and Summer knew where they were going. He half expected her to be just as lost as Ruby was their first day.

"Hey Summer? How do you know where you're going?"

She turned around and gave him a strange look. "Well, I've been here once before. At Signal the seniors who plan on enrolling get to take a field trip here at the end of the year. Didn't they do that for you?"

"Um no. I never went to Signal." He admitted. His mind racing for a possible cover story for the question he knew was going to follow.

"Well that explains why I never saw you there. What school did you go to?"

"Well, I was home taught." He lied.

"Oh really? That's impressive. Who taught you?" Her gaze became a bit more excited as she stepped onto the side to allow other students to pass them.

"Well a close friend of mine did. I definitely wouldn't be where I am today without her." He smiled not allowing the grief of never seeing Pyrrha again to enter his mind at the moment.

"Oh, that's pretty cool!" Pulling aside her cloak she pulled out a large almost icy purple blade. "This is my weapon. Frostmourne is her name." The white reaper grinned. "Judging by the sword on your side, we are both blade users!"

Jaune pulled out his sword and shield. "Yep! This is my weapon Crocea Mors." He smiled. His blade was fine, but her blade was far more impressive, and slightly scary looking. Leave it Ruby's mom to upstage him. Hell, he wouldn't be surprised if her sword could turn into a gun or something.

She looked it over. "It's a fine blade. Did you make it yourself?"

"No, it's something I inherited from my ancestor who fought in the great war."

Her silver hued eyes widened. "That's really cool! I'm already glad that I got to meet another sword user, let alone a sword used in Remnant's greatest conflict!" Her expression soon turned serious. "Well, we can compare more later, but we should head to the opening ceremony."

He nodded and followed after her as they put their blades away. It felt really good having his weapon being admired for a change and despite how shitty the past day had been for him things seemed to be looking up again.

Disregarding how weird talking to your best friend's dead mother as if she were a classmate was.

Oh, wait she is now…This just feels so weird.

* * *

Raven had never laughed so hard before. At least she had never expected to laugh this hard at some boring school, but she did. She wasn't sure how that blonde student had tricked her brother into wearing a skirt at the opening ceremony, but he did.

Perhaps going to an Academy filled with weaklings wasn't so bad after all. Still, it would give her and her brother an edge later on after they graduated, and their tribe did need a counter force after all.

She grinned as she pulled out her blade from the combat locker and equipped it to her side. The next few hours would have a big impact for her.

Initiation would commence for the first years just after the opening ceremony, which would now be just a few minutes away and the headmaster had warned them to think of a landing strategy, so her guess was they were being flung into Emerald Forest somehow.

Then they would get their rooms and classes would start tomorrow morning.

Raven gave a soft huff at the thought of sitting through boring lectures, but recognized the importance of it. Still at least now all she had to do was kill Grimm and that was going to be the fun part.

Stepping onto one of the podiums she noticed her brother walk onto the one beside her.

"Nice legs."

"Shut up Raven."

She couldn't help but let out another snort. "You really surprise me sometimes with how gullible you can be. Damn."

"It's not like we've been to a school before. I'm surprised you even knew what to wear for this."

"That's because I asked the headmaster. Not another smartass student." She crossed her arms. "Honestly Qrow it's my job as the older twin to be the smart one anyway."

Qrow rolled his eyes. "How do you even know you're the oldest?"

"Because I'm the smart one. Duh!"

"More like a bitch."

She grinned, but didn't respond to his jab. The headmaster was making his way to the front of them now and it seemed the rest of the students had gathered as well.

"Welcome first years. Today your teams will be formed starting with the first person you make eye contact with." The headmaster started as he took a sip from his coffee mug.

This caused a ripple of mummers among the students.

' _Eye contact!? That's a bit extreme for determining your partner!'_

Raven wasn't too fond of this idea at all. Especially since she wanted to be partnered with her brother and not some weakling. It would be bad enough having two on their team, but a whole team of them? She shuddered at the thought.

"Your mission is to reach the old temple to the north and obtain a relic before returning to the school. Once everyone returns the teams will be put together. Any questions?" The headmaster paused.

Once he saw there weren't any he nodded and pressed a button on his scroll. "Good luck students."

A loud scream caught her attention as she saw a student get hurled into the air followed by another and another. One by one the students were sent flying off the platforms into the air.

' _So, this is how they were sending us into the forest. I should have figured.'_

Raven braced herself as her turn soon came and she felt the rush of flying for the first time.

Thinking quickly, she pulled her katana and slashed it into a tree to help break her fall. The tree helped offered resistance but not enough as she fell downward, and pieces of bark flew off with some into her face. She closed her eyes as she descended downward not wanting a flying piece of bark to hit her in the eye until she came to an abrupt stop.

Landing swiftly on her feet, she opened her eyes to get a better grasp on her surroundings. Naturally, she was in the middle of an Emerald forest so there were trees everywhere. No doubt Grimm could jump out at any given moment. The sky was getting cloudy and rain seemed on the horizon.

"First day of school, huh?"

She made her way further into the forest. She was pretty sure she was going the right way. Her tribe had taught her many useful skills with navigation and tracking.

A low growling noise was heard from her right and she knew right away to draw her blade. A large beowolf lunged at her inside the trees, however she easily swatted the larger creature back with her sword before pressing the attack and lunging forward. Her blade piercing through its chest and killing it moments later.

Pressing on it wasn't long before more beowolf's attempted to ambush her and soon met a swift death. "This is almost too easy. Anyone who gets caught up by a beowolf doesn't deserve to be a huntsman." She muttered as she separated another beowolf from its head.

* * *

Here he was again. Jaune had been sent through the air once more, but this time he didn't have his redhead partner to save him but he did have aura. Aura that took a nasty hit when he hit the ground with a hard thud. Thankfully the trees were kind enough to slow his fall even if painfully and he had more branches on his armor and twigs in his hair than he would have liked. He was still alive… Sort of.

He still felt sore all around. Still, he got up and started his journey into the woods. He just wondered who his partner would be this time, not that they could ever replace Pyrrha of course. It still felt so weird being here without her.

He took out his scroll and was glad it didn't seem too damaged from the fall. His contacts were still there and out of morbid curiosity he decided to call her scroll. He didn't expect her to answer of course. Being in a literal different branch of time might have something to do with that, but if something as crazy as going back in time could happen then why not give this a try.

He hit the call button. His heart skipped a beat when he heard it ring once.

However, that soon vanished when the infamous automated recording started. _"We are sorry, but the number you have dialed is not in service or is disconnected. Please hang up and try your call again."_

"Damn." He sighed and put the scroll away. He wondered why it even rang the first time then? Was it just teasing him? "Sadistic bastard." Of course, it wasn't really the scrolls fault.

Deciding not to waste anymore time and just get the stupid relic he pressed on.

"I wonder if it will be chess pieces again this year?"

He stopped in his tracks when he heard some rustling come from the nearby bushes. He instinctively drew his sword and raised his shield in a protective manner. It came with a sudden rush and nearly knocked him off his feet. A large beowolf alpha jumped at him swinging it's claws wildly. It was pure adrenalin and survival instinct that allowed the blond to doge and block its attacks.

He gripped his sword desperately as he tried to find some sort of opening in the creatures frenzy.

' _If I stay on the defense like this I'll die!'_

He couldn't rely on his friends anymore to save him. He was alone and if he didn't want to die then it was time for him to start fighting for himself. Ignoring how well that worked for him against Cinder.

Dodging to the right, he winced as the dark wolf's claw grazed his cheek. How deep he didn't know, but he could feel a wet substance trickle down the affected area. He finally saw an opening. That last attack had over extended the creature's reach and gave him the chance to drive his sword into its shoulder. He did.

The beast howled loudly, but the young warrior didn't relent. He continued to drive his sword deeper until he cleaved the beast in half. Its broken pieces fell to the ground before slowly disappearing into a dark mist.

He huffed slowly and closed his eyes for a second. A sharp pain ran through his left shoulder. It seemed the beast nicked him there too, but he didn't feel any blood from it.

"Not the most efficient way but at least you managed to kill it."

Jaune's eyes shot open as he flinched in surprise. He turned around to find a tall young woman with long black hair. The style reminded him of Yang's hair. Her crimson eyes stared at him indifferently.

"Um, thanks?" The blond mumbled. "Who are you?"

"I'm Raven." Slight irritation formed on her face before it was quickly pushed back. "And it seems we are now partners."

Realization dawned on him as he remembered Ozpin's rules for team forming. Even in the past, they held true. His pure blue eyes had locked with her intimidating yet beautiful crimson red.

"I'm Jaune. It's nice to meet you." He offered her his hand.

Raven looked down at it before looking around. "Save the friendship stuff until after initiation. We need to get moving unless you want to fight more Grimm."

He nodded and returned his hand to his weapon. "I think the relics should be this way." He offered and started to head deeper into the forest. He just hoped his memories of his first initiation would help save him time here.

Emerald Forrest seemed to have a lot more Grimm in it now then he remembered back in his time. Perhaps generations of young huntsmen had actually made a difference in the forest's dense Grimm population.

"Alright, I'll let you lead the way." She walked closer to him but kept a small distance behind.

The silence was about as awkward as he figured it would be. This dark Yang clone clearly had little interest in small talk with him. A few topics came to mind, but he decided not to risk agitating his new partner.

' _Pyrrha was so much friendlier…'_

He ignored the small wave of emotion that hit him from the memory of her or any of his friends for that matter. He needed to focus on not getting killed so quickly after his _rebirth._

Finally, after what felt like forever the ruins came into view. This time there was no death stalker chasing him ether. "Looks like we found the place." He muttered.

Raven nodded. "You're fighting skills seem average at best, but at least you seem to have a good sense of direction."

' _Well, that explains how much of my fight she saw… Would it have killed her to help?'_

As he expected the old ruins had chess pieces lined up on various slabs of stone.

"So, which one are we taking?" He asked.

Raven walked over to the black queen. "I think this one works just fine." She smiled as she picked it up. "Let's hurry and get back to the school. I've already killed enough Grimm today to satisfy my urge for battle and any more would be a waste of time."

"Um, right." He nodded and followed along. He looked up to thankfully see an empty sky. _'At least there was no nevermore.'_

"So how long have you been training for?"

Jaune looked over to her as they walked. Not really expecting her to be the one to start conversation at this point. He hadn't even been at Beacon a full year before the fall. "About a year or so."

She raised an eyebrow. "Really? So that explains it… It seems you didn't go to one of those starting school's ether. But unlike me, you might have needed it."

"Well, I mostly self-practiced until about a year ago and then I met someone who helped tutor me." He explained.

"I see. Well, you made it in somehow, so I don't really care. I just hope you'll keep seeing whoever is training you for your sake. If we run into higher level Grimm you're going to be in some serious trouble." She warned.

He sighed. "I can't."

"Why?"

"She…Isn't here anymore."

The black-haired girl studied him for a moment before nodding. "I see. What did it?"

He thought for a moment and fought the small lump in his throat. "There was an attack and she died."

"I'm sorry for the loss. But perhaps it's for the best she stopped teaching you one way or another. I mean, if she died, she must not have been that great."

He stopped.

She did too and placed a hand on her hip. "Problem?"

"You should watch your mouth on things you know nothing about." He warned.

She cocked her head to the side but seemed unphased. Amused if anything. "Oh? Big words coming from someone like you."

"Big or small doesn't really matter as long as it's the truth."

"Whatever kid. I'm not going to fight you in the middle of a Grimm filled forest." She shrugged and started to walk once more.

He followed after her. The silence was as thick as his thoughts of anger. He was wrong to even compare this girl to Yang. But it was stupid to try and fight her on it. She obviously knew so little. How could she? It wouldn't be fair to judge her on this even if she was being a bitch about it. He felt one of his hands clench on their own. His body shaking slightly.

Still, he couldn't help but feel his anger brooding at her rude comments about his former partner. It only swelled with the reminder he would never see them again.

 _ **Slash**_

Jaune's eyes widened as he noticed his surroundings once more. The fading mist of a decapitated ursa littered the ground near him.

"You should probably save your brooding until we get back to the school." Raven advised as she lowered her katana. "Remember negative emotions attract the Grimm. Or did your tutor not tell you that?"

"She did…"

"Good. If what I said bothered, you that much then do something about it. Once we are free then come spar with me and show if how strong you are." Raven smirked.

They both knew he couldn't beat her. Well, he was fairly certain anyway and she was positive. Still, he wanted to. He wanted to wipe that stupid grin off her face. It wasn't like he had anything to lose… Well, besides more of his pride, but he could live with that. Tarnishing Pyrrha's name, especially since _he_ shouldn't be the one alive, not Pyrrha infuriated him.

Well, technically as far he knew Pyrrha was alive… But still. Time travel was so confusing.

"I'll take up that offer of yours."

* * *

The walk back to the Academy was pretty uneventful in comparison to his first time during initiation. No deathstalkers or nevermore chasing them, instead it was simple Grimm like beowolves or an ursa, and Raven usually finished them in seconds. Jaune figured even he could handle those now if he needed, but as luck would have it his new partner was quick to steal the kill.

"Sorry, but this is the most action we will probably be getting for a while. I'm not going to waste this opportunity." Raven explained.

"It's fine. I get it." The blond mumbled. It wasn't like he was crazy excited to fight another Grimm anyway.

The journey resumed its silence as the duo continued through the forest. Looking to the sky Jaune noticed it would be night soon. The broken moon was already becoming visible as the sun dipped below the horizon.

"Look out!"

Jaune felt the ground underneath them start to tremble.

* * *

Qrow and his new partner Summer were running as fast as they could towards his sister and the blond he hadn't seen before.

The ground shook violently beneath them. Qrow didn't even have to turn around to know that the goliath was still chasing after them. Thankfully, it wasn't a full herd that had discovered them, but a stray.

"What the hell!? I didn't know goliaths occupied the Emerald Forrest" The blond cried.

"Nether did we." Qrow sighed as he and Summer caught up to his sister and the blond. "Looks like we are already learning something new. I knew this was a good school." He smirked.

The goliath was massive. Its two massive tusks looked like they could impale three to four people at once and hold their bodies over a fire and cook them if it wanted to. Its impending figure was only scarcely rivaled by a deathstalker or a nevermore in the Vale region. Its armor was some of the hardest in know Grimm history, but the trick was to find the right spot and it could be taken down easier than one might expect.

The problems was getting to that spot before it crushed you. They were also one of most intelligent types of Grimm and many times didn't attack blindly unless it thought it would win for sure.

"Qrow stop fooling around. We need to take that thing down. It could attract more." Raven frowned. Her blade already at the ready.

"We were just luring it to a more open area first." Summer explained.

"Speaking of that we should probably keep running until we get to one then." The blond stated.

No one argued with him as they sprinted into a clearing back near the ruins. The large beast roared as it crushed everything in sight. It broke through the trees like a bulldozer through a building. The large crunching noises it made as it tore through the forest were a constant reminder to run. Run like hell.

Thankfully the clearing wasn't far away, and the small group was able to spread out to make the creature single someone out.

"I'll take the left side." Rave called out as she dashed at the creatures left eye. Qrow instinctively took the right eye. It was natural to try and blind the creature first before going for its weak spots.

The problems were that a goliath had incredibly tough armor and discovering the creature's weak point could far too long before it trampled you to death or impaled you with one of its tusks.

Thankfully the tusks wouldn't be too much of a problem. Summer was already on them as the beast lashed out violently. Her sword seemed to cut through one with unnatural ease.

Qrow shot off a few dust rounds into the creature's eye. Using his agility and momentum he was able to leap high enough to get in a good slash at its eye as well. The creature howled out in pain. It was starting to become unbalanced as it lashed out in a now literal blind frenzy.

"I got its other tusk!" Summer called out.

"Good job white cloak." Raven praised. "Now we just need t-"

Qrow followed her line of site. It seemed the blond was making a mad dash for the creature's belly.

"Jaune! Wait!" Summer called out.

However, the blond was already in the thrall of the beast. The creature lashed about widely and had it still be in possession of it's tusks it would have impaled him easy. Instead the blond thrusted his sword into the creatures' belly. The Grimm howled loudly before falling over.

Qrow didn't waist time and started to shoot more dust rounds into it. Raven added her sword to the beasts under armor. With a loud roar the beast finally died, and its body started to fade into black dust.

"Whew…" Jaune let out a tired sigh. He was sweating and breathing heavily.

"Wow dude. That was ballsy."

"I know. But you guys were all busy disarming it, so I saw an opportunity. My old mentor taught me a lot of about the weak points of certain Grimm."

"Was this someone outside of a combat school?" Qrow inquired.

"Yep."

"I see." He grinned. "Nice. Me and Raven here never went to a school before ether. I'm Qrow by the way and it seems you and Summer already know one another?"

"Yep, we met just before imitation." The knight conformed.

"As fun as this is we should get back to the school. I'd rather not risk running into another goliath." Raven advised.

"No complaints here." Qrow shrugged.

* * *

The hall from the opening ceremony was packed, but it had only taken a half hour or so to get through most of the new teams. Summer was glad they hadn't run into any more Grimm on the way back. Being thrown into combat like that wasn't something she expected on a first day.

Still, her partner Qrow seemed nice. His sister? Much less so. At least she got to see Jaune again though. Raven seemed to have some sort of superiority complex or something. She would merely roll her eyes or ignore her outright whenever she attempted to get to know the other girl on the way back.

' _Perhaps I shouldn't have nearly tackled her when I saw that epic looking sword of hers…'_

Mistakes may have been made, but she would rectify it in time. Qrow's weapon was a bit cooler anyway.

' _A gun/scythe/sword!? How cool is that!?'_

She couldn't help but feel her own sword was insignificant. Still good old Frostmourne had always done the job she needed done. She wouldn't give it up for the world.

Still, even Jaune had a shield to go along with his sword. She on the other hand had her trusty white cloak. She felt more like some hooded assassin than a warrior when she thought about it.

Normally assassins used daggers… Maybe her dagger was just a lot bigger than normal? Yeah, that's it!

It was finally her turn. Along with the other duo she and Qrow went on stage in front of the headmaster. Of course, standing in front of the entire freshman student body wasn't the best for her nerves ether.

"Summer Rose, Qrow Branwen, Raven Branwen, and um…" The headmaster paused and shifted through his scroll. "Strange…I didn't notice this one in the freshmen database before…"

Summer stole a glance at Jaune. He looked so nervous. She could hardly blame him with him being the sole center attention. But surely, he shouldn't feel bad for the headmaster's mistake, right?

"Um, Jaune Arc?" The headmaster cleared his throat. "My deepest apologize. I seem to be surprisingly unorganized today. Allow me to try that again. Summer Rose, Qrow Branwen, Raven Branwen, and Jaune Arc. You both collected the queen pieces. Your team name is…SJRQ."

There was a silence followed by some murmurs among the crowd. Even the headmaster seemed a bit puzzled.

"Hmm. I can't think of a color for this. This isn't good at all." He returned his attention back to her team. "Well, for now team SJRQ is your name. Led by… Summer Rose."

There was an awkward silence, but that was quickly replaced by polite clapping from the students. Qrow nudged her with a thumb up. Summer was pretty sure her face was on fire, but she didn't dare pull up her hood to hide behind it.

She was just glad this whole thing was over with.

* * *

Jaune sighed as he walked through the halls. They had gotten their room, and each picked out a bed for themselves followed by a nice dinner. After dinner, his teammates had dispersed. Qrow went out into Vale. Summer went to check out the library and Raven? She didn't say.

"We didn't even get a proper name…I suppose that's another thing I messed up since coming here." He sighed. "I should just be happy the headmaster somehow found my file." He should be thankful to whatever God had sent him here.

He smiled looking at Beacons combat arena. It hadn't changed much.

He remembered watching Pyrrha take on Cardin and his team single handedly. She didn't even break a sweat. She also had a short fight with that exchange student Mercury.

"Pyrrha…"

Loud footsteps caused him to turn away from the arena and look towards the entrance.

"So, you came? Good. I was hoping to get some live practice in before bed."

"Oh, hey Raven. What's up?"

" _What's up?_ We are still having a match, right? Don't tell me you forgot and came here by chance…." She frowned and crossed her arms. If looks could kill, then her eyes would have already set him on fire.

He stood speechless. It was true, he had completely forgotten. His mind was far too occupied with the fact that he had managed to hit a goliath's weak spot without getting trampled to death. He didn't remember having goliaths in the Emerald Forrest during his time. Perhaps they had been wiped out by then? Or at least they were far less common.

Also, he fucked up the color thing and their team name. Sure, they couldn't really blame him…Completely but he knew it was all him. Surely this wasn't the first time Ozpin didn't know how to come up with a proper name right? With students having all kinds of names surely you won't get lucky and have them match into teams that make colors every time, right?

"No. I didn't forget." He lied. He still wasn't happy with the way Raven disregarded Pyrrha's supposed death. But he also was pretty sure who was going to win this match, but since they were both sword users he might be able to learn something.

The intensity of her crimson eyes died down.

"Good. It would be good to know what my partner is capable of so don't hold back."

She didn't look any less intimidating then the moment he met her back in the Grimm infested forest.

"One question before we start."

"What is it?"

"Are you angry?"

She looked at it him as he was dumb. "No, I'm not angry. Why would I be?"

My friend, Yang's eyes are lilac, but whenever she got angry her eyes would turn red like yours, so I was just wondering."

She sighed. "No. It's just my eye color. What? Did you think because my eyes have always been red that I was angry this whole time?"

"I mean…You could have fooled me."

When it came to talking to girls Jaune did learn something important from his father. There was a right thing to say, a wrong thing to say, and a "God help you" thing to say. He was pretty sure he scored some ware between the second and third options right about now.

"You're a fucking idiot!" She pulled out her katana. "Let's get this started so I can cut you already."

Never mind. He definitely fell under the third option.

He really hoped Raven wouldn't be the one to kill him a second. He hadn't even changed anything yet…For the better anyway.

 **AN: Thanks for reading. I hope to have more soon. Key word... _Hope_.**


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